4 simple lifestyle changes that significantly improved my health
- ashleynagi1
- Mar 8, 2022
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 3, 2023
If you're anything like me, you're always looking for opportunities to optimize your health - small tweaks or changes to your daily routine to get the most out of your day! In this post, I'll focus on four small but very effective changes you can make in your life to improve your physical and mental health. Obviously there a TON of things that can be done but here I'll focus on the changes I've made that have really improved my quality of life.
Get enough sleep
You've probably heard this a million times so I'll keep this short. Get more sleep! I know from experience that this is waaay easier said than done. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up to my alarm feeling tired and vowed to go to bed early that night and then ended up in bed late as usual. I know how hard it is to stop what you're doing to go to bed early, especially if you don't feel particularly tired but it is totally worth it. Whenever I get 7-8 hours of sleep, I always wake up feeling great and has such positive impact on my day. Not to mention all of the health benefits that come with more sleep!
If you are not getting enough sleep and you're worried about not working out enough or eating healthy enough, you should consider both of these secondary concerns to improving your sleep. There is a ton of research that shows that not getting enough sleep can result in making poor diet decisions and can make exercise less effective. And the good news is that the tweaks we need to make to improve sleep often aren't super difficult to implement compared with those like changing your diet or starting a new fitness routine. It can be as simple as committing to going to bed earlier and actually doing it!
Look for opportunities to be active
Since I've started to look for opportunities to become active, my fitness tracker has shown a huge boost in my daily activity. These small changes can really add up over time! One of the things I do the most is I try to walk as much as possible, instead of drive or take transit. Obviously whether I walk will be based on a number of factors such as travel time, the weather and the terrain (Seattle is pretty hilly!) but every time I need to run an errand, I check Google Maps to see how "walkable" it is. For the most part, anything that is within 30-45 minutes from my home, I would consider walkable. I know that a 45 minute walk for most people might sound a little long but you can always put your headphones on an listen to some music or an audiobook and the time will fly by. Sometimes if I'm strapped for time, I might walk one way and take transit the other way to ensure that I get some exercise. I truly think this is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your health. I live in downtown Seattle and have lived in other downtown city centers and the best part about cities is that they are often very walkable. People in the city are more likely to walk to get to a destination than those in the suburbs. I used to live in the suburbs and most of my family does too and often it's just a given that you'll drive somewhere. Walking isn't even a consideration! Regardless of where you live, next time you need to run an errand, consider or even running if you're up for a challenge.
Beside walking, using the stairs is another to get some activity into your day. I used to take the escalator or elevator in malls or the subway station without any thought at all. Why take the stairs when you can take the escalator up faster with less effort? Well, because it's an excellent way to get exercise without strapping those gym shoes on! Now, assuming I don't have my baby with me in her stroller, I always look to see if there are stairs that I can take. Climbing stairs is amazing cardio exercise that allows you to get your heart rate up pretty quickly and challenges your body. If you're feeling up for a challenge, run up the stairs, take two at a time or do squats as you're going up.
Add in exercise "snacks"
Beyond looking for opportunities to get active in your daily activities, you can add exercise "snacks" into your daily routine. These are called exercise snacks for a reason - you don't need to change your clothes or take a shower afterwards - they're small bouts of activity that you incorporate at any time in your day. Here are some examples of exercise snacks I've included in my daily routine whenever I am able:
10 squats while brushing my teeth
20 pushups or burpees while waiting for my coffee to brew
3 pull ups every time you enter a room (this is my husband's personal favorite. He installed a pull up bar on the doorway to his office and does a few pull ups every time he goes in)
You can make these exercises whatever you want and do them whenever you have time which makes them super flexible. Exercise snacks put less pressure on you than a traditional work out session since there is no prep required and basically any activity is good enough! Only got time for 5 squats, not 10? Great! It's better than 0 squats. The addition of these little bits of activity add up over time and can really make you feel better physically. You also feel more accomplished when you know you got some extra activity into your day even if you didn't get a chance to hit the gym.
Stay hydrated
This has got to be one of the easiest things you can do to improve your health! Staying hydrated has so many benefits - it helps to improve blood flow in the body, digestion and cognitive performance. Staying hydrated has also really helped prevent unnecessary eating in my case. I've more or less eliminated snacking in my life by focusing on hydration. Staying adequately hydrated helps to keep you full between meals and makes you less likely to reach for snacks.
And remember that hydration does not need to come from just water! There are a lot of other ways to get your hydration in. During the winter for example, I love to make soups and stews, as well as drink herbal teas to stay warm and hydrated.
While some of these changes may seem basic - like getting enough sleep - there is a reason that this advice gets repeated time and time again…it works! I've personally found that starting with some low hanging fruit can improve how you look and feel significantly and can position you better to make some of those bigger changes in your life like creating a regular work out routine. I hope some of these tips help you!
Are there any small changes you've made in your life that have had a significant impact on your health? If so, let me know in the comments below. I'm always eager to hear what's working for others!
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